The event was a celebration of the 650th anniversary of the founding of the German city of Solingen.
Three people have One person was killed and several others injured in an attack on a celebration of the 650th anniversary of the founding of the German city of Solingen, local news reported Friday.
According to the newspaper Solinger TagblattPeople said the attacker appeared to have used a knife, and one of the festival's organizers, Philipp Muller, said on stage that emergency workers were fighting for the lives of nine people.
No one was arrested, the newspaper reported, while eyewitness accounts said the suspect fled.
During a press conference, a police spokesman stated that “their current assessment is that this was a deliberate attack,” but when asked if the tragedy was a terrorist attack, the spokesman cautioned: “That would be pure speculation. I can't say that at the moment.”
“This evening, we are all in Solingen in shock, horror and great sadness. We all wanted to celebrate our city’s anniversary together and now we have to mourn the dead and injured,” Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach wrote on social media. [his] “Eyes” on the missing.
In a statement shared with X, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach wrote: “We hope that rescue workers will be able to save the injured who are still alive and that the police will be able to catch the cowardly and pathetic perpetrator while he is on the run.”
Björn Busch, deputy editor-in-chief of Solinger Tagblatt, said: BBC The city's mayor said the celebrations “were supposed to last for three days, and the city was expecting 25,000 people each night. The city was packed with people.”
according to Solinger TagblattThe festival was closed and authorities asked Solingen residents to leave the city centre.
This is an evolving story.
